NASA announced this month that its new panel to study Unidentified Aerial Phenomena — i.e. UFOs — was staffed up and ready to get working. The panel is impressive, including planetary scientists, astrophysicists, experts from the Federal Aviation Administration, data scientists and a celebrated astronaut. I have worked with a few of these scientists, and the group represents a stellar collection (pun intended) of smart, creative people with high scientific integrity.
But what, exactly, are these scientists supposed to be doing in the contentious domain of UFOs? More importantly, is this really something that NASA should give time and money, potentially risking the agency’s credibility?
The truth is, this group’s nine-month study is unlikely to determine conclusively what these phenomena are. But NASA’s pursuit can provide a transparent case study of how science is done on a subject full of unknowns. And the discussion can highlight the remarkable progress being made in the scientific search for life on distant planets.
The truth is that the study won't conclusively determine anything they don't want to conclusively determine. To read more, click here.